>> well, it's going to be a challenge to get anything through the house in this environment. they've been difficult to get through. i think it's important we recognize that working families should have a decent wage and raising the minimum wage is something that should be a prerequisi prerequisite. we should get that done. that shouldn't even be controversial. it helps our whole economy grow. we certainly want people who work to be able to afford their family budget. so i would hope this would be noncontroversial. n we've done it in the past. i hope we do it again. >> in fact, you've been quite vociferous about it. in your home stand of maryland, two county there is have raised their minimum wages to $11.50 an hour. we've seen this in other local governments across the country. do you think it's the only way this initiative is going to succeed, keep it local, give up on congress, and the federal increase? >> every time we've increased the minimum wage, it's helped our economy. every time. we've heard predictions it would cost jobs. it increases jobs. it increases livability,